San Joaquin County
Biographies
CHARLES BARTHMAN
CHARLES BARTHMAN, proprietor
of the National Soda Works, Stockton, is a native of the city of Hanover,
Germany, born March 14, 1842, his parents being Fredrick Charles and Fredrika (Peltz) Barthman. His father, a merchant, built the first chicory
factory in Hanover.
The subject of this sketch was reared at his native place, and to the age of fourteen years attended school there. He then went to college for over two years at Holtzminden. After completing his education, he served an apprenticeship to a contractor of Hanover, and then traveled throughout the country, taking in the principal cities. In 1863 he was drawn for service in the army, and became a member of Second Company, Third Regiment, First Battalion, and was assigned to duty in the city of Eimbeck. He took part in the Holstein trouble in 1864 and again in the war of 1866, and was then discharged from the Hanoverian army. He then served seven weeks in the Prussian army, as a non-commissioned officer of the Eleventh Infantry, Grenadier Guard, being stationed at Altona, near Hamburg. Upon leaving the service of Prussia he emigrated to America, sailing from Hamburg to New York. He started a furniture store on the corner of Hudson and Dominick Streets, New York, and carried on business there a little over a year. Then the Vallamosa Springs excitement, in the Blue Mountains of Alabama, broke out, and he went to the scene and bought land there. He was there about sixteen months, but gave up his interest there on account of trouble about the title. He then went to Memphis, from there to New Orleans, and eventually to Texas, where he followed contracting. He built the first two-story house ever erected in Dallas. Becoming sick in Texas he spent the next three years in traveling in search of health, going to St. Louis, to Kansas City, and eventually was fortunate enough to get back his health and strength. In 1871 he came to California, locating at San Francisco. Finding the climate there unsuited to him, he traveled for some time, finally locating in Alameda, where he established a soda-water factory. In 1885 he removed his machinery to Stockton and established the National Soda Works, for which he has built up an extensive city and country trade. While at the Bay, he served for seven years in Company C, Second Regiment N. G. C., and was a non-commissioned officer. He was married in San Francisco to Miss Christiana Gauler, a native of Holstein. Mr. Barthman is president of the Stockton Turn-Verein, and is a member of the lodge No. 123, A. O. U. W. He joined the order in 1879 in the lodge No. 5, Alameda, and belongs to the Workmen’s Guarantee Fund Association. He also belongs to the Verein-Eintracht.
Mr. Barthman is
an enterprising business man, and enjoys the esteem of a large circle of warm
personal friends on account of his uniform courtesy and urbanity.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Page 411. Lewis Pub. Co. Chicago, Illinois
1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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